Chef Todd Goodwin's excitement radiates through the room as he flies around the kitchen gathering his ingredients and cites the local farms and vendors. He names his vendors like old friends, remembering the memories of dishes that they had helped him make.

Native to Cleveland, Goodwin is a self-taught executive chef, recently hired by Doubletree by Hilton in Newark. He has twenty-two years of experience under his belt and has worked at other hotels and restaurants as an executive chef.

"Hotel business is my favorite because it's never the same thing [each day],” Goodwin said.

Chef Todd Goodwin, new executive chef of the DoubleTree Hilton in Newark, Ohio, loves the hotel business because it provides variety in the menus.(Photo: Alina Panek)

Kendra Proudfit, General Manager of the Doubletree Newark, said “It’s fun to watch him so excited and it’s an honor to have him work with us.”

Goodwin started in early November but already has goals in mind with the Newark community.

“I want to interact with the community,” he said. He hopes to showcase his staff’s work in local events in the downtown square, have a smoker for the summer to cook barbecue, elevate dinner dining with spirit dinners.

The chef has been recognized in several food events such as the Taste of Bexley and Taste the Future. In 2012 Taste of Gahanna, Goodwin won the Chef’s Challenge as executive chef with The Embassy Suites Columbus Airport.

“I hope to have people travel from Columbus to try our food,” Goodwin said.

In Columbus State’s Taste the Future food festival, he made Goat Tamales -- his favorite dish to prepare. This dish excites him because he used local ingredients from the community -- finding the elusive goat’s milk from Amish neighbors.

Goodwin prides himself on using local ingredients, calling his aspiring cooking style “seasonally inspired, locally driven.” He recommends newcomers to try the locally sourced food such as the burgers and the pork chops. His newly created menu will be used in the week before Christmas.

Chef Goodwin makes a sample dish of one of the events of the day: King Salmon with herb roasted potatoes, baby carrots and walnut and arugula sauce.(Photo: Alina Panek)

The restaurant will feel new within the next year. Doubletree Newark is renovating the kitchen and its dining room under the recent ownership of Indus Hotels through Hilton.

“The hotel has so much potential,” Goodwin said. “There’s plenty of space to host events. It’ll take a lot but I take a lot of pride in what I do.”